KOCHI: It is very easy to get hooked to swimming. Not only is swimming a good form of exercise, but also a great stress-buster. However, to be a swimming champion requires much than mere liking. Commitment and dedication are the two things that stand out in Ruhi Dholakia’s passion for swimming.Although she belongs to a Gujarati family, Dholakia was born and brought up in the city. A Class VIII student of Kochi Navy School, Dholakia started taking swimming lessons when she was in second grade. Her father is into tea-exporting business and her mother is a project coordinator at a special school. In spite of having no major influence from her family in the field of sports, Dholakia is very devoted towards her passion. Her brush with victory began three years back. She first won and was certified for 50-metre breast stroke at Global Public School, Chottanikkara, which was an inter-school competition. She also won an individual championship in the 2010-11 CBSE south zone competition. She won individual championships twice in Class V and VII. So far, she has clinched 3 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze medals at school and district levels, and 2 gold and 1 silver medal at state level. Now, her eyes are all set on Sub-junior National Swimming Championship to be held on June 25 in Indore. The 13-year-old trains regularly in the morning at the regional sports centre and at school under coach Saji. About her coach, she says, “He corrects my strokes but never scolds me. Whenever I am tired, he gives time to relax.” “My swimming strength is breast stroke. It is the most popular recreational style, but in competitive swimming, breast stroke is regarded as one of the most difficult strokes,” Dholakia says.Giving details about her daily schedule, she says, “I get up at 5 am, followed by a swimming session. Another session follows from 3 pm to 6 pm. At school, I swim thrice a week under the guidance of Sajisir. I also do physical ground exercises for 15 minutes prior to each of my swimming sessions.”Her passion for swimming has also inspired her nine-year-old sister Krishna. Dholakia is an all-rounder. ”I find it very easy to manage my academics and swimming,”she says. She is also a senior brown belt holder in karate.“Other than swimming, I like skating, playing the keyboard and painting,”she adds. “As of now, all I think about is swimming. It is more than a hobby to me and I plan to make it my career. I don’t have any sports icon. I just follow my own conscience,” she says.
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